


pale waves

by chocoboyellow



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Ardyn Izunia is a Jerk, BAMF Prompto Argentum, Blind Ignis Scientia, Blood, Blood and Injury, Boys In Love, Chocobos, Cor is a father tbh, Depression, Domestic Fluff, Eating Disorders, Episode Prompto DLC, Eventual Happy Ending, Final Fantasy XV Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Gang Rape, Hurt Prompto Argentum, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Muteness, Poor Prompto Argentum, Prompto's Barcode, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Recovery, Temporary Character Death, Tenderness, Torture, Touch-Starved, True Love, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Whump, Worried Noctis Lucis Caelum, Zegnautus Keep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2020-07-27 14:36:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20047666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocoboyellow/pseuds/chocoboyellow
Summary: On every wall of the Keep, a video of Prompto - naked and being held down onto a table - is projected in disturbingly high quality.The blood drains from Noct's face. Gladio swears.~~What Noctis, Ignis and Gladio find at Zegnautus Keep.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, for this story I changed a few things mainly that Noctis has his sword and very little magic after he pushes Prompto from the train and all that. Iggy's still blind obviously. Uh, Ardyn's a bastard in this, and this is quite dark and involves heavy content. 
> 
> Prompto will have a happy ending I promise.

The Keep was a cold and dimly lit series of mazes that branched off into seemingly random rooms and only seemed to go higher and higher up. On the off chance that Noct, Iggy and Gladio found a set of stairs, they always lead upward.

Then into another set of mazes that lead nowhere. Gladio led the way, and they trekked through the confusing fortress in search of the crystal and their missing companion, the hour slipping by as their frustration grew. Occasionally they had to take down a soldier or a demon, but that was about as exciting as the place got. The halls were grey and lined with cartons they didn't care to try and open. The rooms either contained computers that had long since powered down or simply didn't work. Sometimes they were empty, or filled with bunk beds and lockers.

Noctis started getting antsy. Where the hell was Prompto? Why was this place so fucking _ big _? 

They turned down another grey hallway. Gladio groaned. 

They'd been walking long enough for their legs to begin to ache when the horribly grating sound of a speaker cutting on reverberated through the walls as the fortress walls suddenly lit up.

Gladio paused, arms out to stop Noctis. The Prince took Iggy's arm, hiding the adviser behind him. Still unused to being blind, Ignis was vulnerable. Noct wasn't willing to risk him getting hurt. 

Silence filled the air for a moment.

The walls around them flickered and went white, and Noctis jumps at the sudden lights and summons his sword - the only one Ardyn left him with - ready to strike whatever he needed to. 

The walls flickered. Like each was a...screen? 

No, a projection. It was like each wall had a projector focused on it.

"_ What's happening _?" Ignis hisses, anxiety lurking under his voice. Noctis felt a flash of guilt. Right, Iggy wouldn't know.

"The walls have white projections on it. Like a...a drive-in movie or something."

Gladio snorts, "_ Really _?

"What? That's all I could come up with."

The Shield smirks. 

That smirk slides off his face when the picture turns from white to grey, then flickers to life all over again. Then the picture changes. 

On every wall of the Keep, a video of Prompto - naked and being held down onto a table - is projected in disturbingly high quality. 

The blood drains from Noct's face. Gladio swears.

Ardyn looms over the quietly crying blond, and the angle is as such that they can see how much Prompto is already bleeding. There's something that Gladio doesn't want to identify all over their friend's thighs.

Prompto sobs quietly, then hiccups, almost choking on his short, quick, panicked breaths.

"Do you not enjoy my company, Mr. Argentum?" Ardyn teases with an easy smile, "But we've had _ so much fun _."

Prompto looks away, clenching his eyes shut. Ardyn slaps him, taking hold of his face and making him look into the camera. His other hand pulls himself out of his pants, and he releases Prompto's face to rub the head of his erection against Prompto's injured opening.

"And I'm sure your friends are enjoying the show." Ardyn says.

Prompto's eyes widen in horror and his face twists in mortification, flushing deeper red. More tears escape from his eyes and he screams brokenly as Ardyn roughly presses into him.

Gladio stumbles away from the wall his eyes are glued to in horror, "What the _ fuck _?!"

Noct freezes, eyes on the wall in front of him, forced to be face to face with Prompto's torture. If he turns he knows the same horrible video will be behind him. There was nowhere to run. The only safe thing to look at was the floor, but that didn't block out the sounds.

Six, the _ sounds _.

Ignis makes a distressed noise that neither the Prince or Shield have ever heard the advisor make. He couldn't see it, but he was _ hearing _ everything, and Ignis knew exactly what was being done to Prompto. 

"Stop...please, stop…" the blond sobs. Bruised hands weakly push against his captor's chest, trying to push him off. He sobs again, too weak to do anything.

"_ Imagine _ , on every single wall of the Keep your friends now wander, a live feed of the two of us. Isn't technology _ quite _ amazing? Well," he pulls out of the bleeding body under him then slams back in, pulling another scream from Prompto, "There's a fair share of magic involved as well, but I figure your friends deserve to be entertained, don't you?"

Noctis swears, voice laced with venom. He's going to _ rip Ardyn to shreds _ and then feed him to the _ pigs _.

Noctis turns and sprints through the Keep in a mad rage, with Ignis and Gladio in similar states right on his heels. They tear down every Magitek soldier in their way and barrel through hallways, the sounds of Prompto's cries spurring them to push further, faster. 

But the place was an endless series of tunnel-like hallways that all looked the _ same _. Gladio was sure they were going in circles. Hours stretched on and they had no idea where to go, or whether they'd already been where they just were. 

As time crawled on, Ardyn got rougher with Prompto's body, more cruel. 

Ardyn thrusts into him roughly, forcing himself deep inside the bleeding body under him. He gestures to the camera and grips a handful of blond hair, yanking Prompto's head to look at the device settled beside them. The camera was pointed right at the bleeding, crying boy on the table being crushed under the weight of the monster on top of him.

The perfect angle to see everything. Every bit of Prompto's shame and violation. He sobbed weakly.

They were forced to watch him cry, plead and scream while Ardyn tore him apart. They were forced to watch everything. 

Every time Ardyn made him take him in his mouth, every time Ardyn threatened to allow the Imperial soldiers to take turns with him. Every time Prompto passed out. Every time Ardyn woke him with a potion so he could violate him again.

Every time he came against his will.

Prompto cries weakly, insides burning as Ardyn quickened his pace.

As the hours ticked on Ardyn had taken to taunting Prompto, his sly tone injected with fake, deceptive fondness as he tore further at his victims mind. His words got more and more biting, more vulgar, more violent. And he said it all with such an easy, almost sing-songy tone that enraged all three of them.

_ "You're a rather pretty little thing. I did wonder why they kept you around." _

Noctis pauses at that, heart clenching and dropping to his feet. No, no that wasn't true. 

_ "They're looking for the crystal, as I'm sure you know. If they don't find you, well, I'm sure they wouldn't mind. It's fine, you're more suited for this anyway." _

No. No, he was all wrong. He was _ lying _ to Prompto. They were going out of their minds looking for him right at this very second. Prompto was worth _ everything _.

_ "Do they know you're from Niflheim?" _ Ardyn asks casually. Prompto made a strained, desperate sound.

Noctis processes the information and then throws it at the back of his mind in less than a millisecond. So? It didn't matter. It didn't matter where Prom was from.

What mattered was that Noct saved him. That Prompto knew Noct was so fucking sorry for falling for Ardyn's tricks. That Adryn was lying to him.

"_ Oh? I'll take that as a no." _ He rams back into him. Prompto chokes on the blood in his mouth.

"_ Made to be a Magitek soldier. But you got lucky, did you not?" _

"You bastard!" Gladio roars, fed up. He knows Ardyn can't hear him. The man could do nothing else at present.

And that frustrated Galdio beyond belief.

_ "Give the camera a smile won't you, my dear Prompto? Your friends are watching! They have been the whole time!" _ He smiles _ , "You were made for the big screen." _

Prompto's tears of humiliation run faster and he chokes on his own wracking sobs and desperate breaths, trying to get air into his lungs.

Noctis, Ignis and Gladio spent the next few days wandering the Keep, trapped in a hell of their own alongside Prompto. Every wall was projected with the camera footage, a live feed of what Adryn was doing. It was twenty four hours. The camera never turned off. The sound was crisp and clear and they couldn't look at anything without witnessing their friend's brutal assault. When Ardyn let him rest he simply left him on the table for a few hours, unconscious and bleeding. Maybe he'd give him a potion if he'd been especially rough with him.

Gladio grew more and more furious and desperate, not bothering with the keycards anymore and just beating down doors.

Noct had to try to keep his sanity. Ignis wasn't doing any better.

Ardyn was something of an evil genius. The projections of Prompto's violation on the walls disoriented, distracted and pained them enough that it made it even _ more _ difficult to navigate the maze-like fortress. It also broke them down emotionally and wore down their ability to think rationally. It started eating at their teamwork. Gladio and Noctis start snapping at each other about which way to go on the second day of searching the Keep, and Ignis had simply retreating into himself, feeling more and more helpless. They couldn't look at the walls because the horror of Prompto's attack was projected all over them, but they had to get around, and they couldn't navigate the place just by keeping their eyes on the floor alone (and for Ignis there simply _ was _ no reprieve) like they so desperately wanted to. They had to look for signs and anything that stood out. Everywhere they turned, they saw Prompto's tear filled violet eyes as he was tortured mercilessly. 

At some point, on the second day, they'd been forced to settle somewhere and sleep, but the projections were indeed everywhere. With every single wall covered by the terrible things that Prompto was made to endure, there was no hope of rest. The guilt they shared about having to rest at all while one of their own was being hurt was crushing, and they shared the self-loathing between them. Finally Ardyn let Prompto rest, and didn't force him awake with a potion when he passed out. They managed a few hours of fitful sleep before they were awakened by the sickening noises again. They got up and started to move again, sprinting through corridors.

_______

On the third day of running frantically around the hellish maze, Noct fell to his knees and vomited. It was when Ardyn grew bored and made good on his threat, forcing them to watch the Imperial soldiers use Prompto one by one, the blond's pained screams and cries echoing through the halls at high volume along with the insults the men spit at him. The Prince trembled with rage and misery, helplessness and exhaustion threatening to consume him. He didn't even have to look at Iggy and Gladio to know they felt the same.

Noct couldn't handle this. Was the soul-crushing audio getting _ louder _ or was he imagining it? 

Noctis retches again, exhausted, horrified, sickened and stressed beyond measure, like they all were.

"Noct." Ignis asked, kneeling beside the shaking Prince. His own hand was unsteady. Noct looks at Iggy, taking in the tremors that wrack the advisor's body. Ignis' breath was shaky, like he was forcing himself to keep it together..

Prompto chokes as one of the men shove their erection down his throat. Whimpers are replaced by painful gagging noises. He was in _ pain _ . Prompto was in pain and Noctis didn't know what to _ do _ . Where to _ go _.

Ignis makes a small, painfully saddened and horrified sound Noctis never dreamed he could, and the usually cool, calm and collected advisor cover his ears with his hands, withdrawing from Noctis and resting his forehead in his knee, shaking. 

"We have to fucking hurry." Noct rasped. He feels like his arms were about to give out. The prince feels dizziness wash over him, and he curses himself. _ He needs to stand up _ . He needs to save Prompto. Ardyn walks back into the room and dismisses the soldiers, taking their place. Ardyn would hurt Prompto again and again. He was _ suffering _ and _ alone _ and being -

Prompto screamed again. They all flinched like they'd been hit.

"This entire place fucking leads to _ nowhere. _" Gladio growls, strained and shaking. It's worn the Shield down bit by bit and the usually unflappable man actually started to tremble after a while, eyes growing darker and more furiously desperate. He starts to pace angrily. Needing to do something but having no clue where to go.

Noctis fists a hand in his hair, the little magic he had sparking around him in his fury and pain for his friend. Prompto screams again as Ardyn slams into him, coming with a groan.

_ "Ah, that was fun." _ The man drawls, tucking himself back into his pants. Noctis catches a glimpse of the blood on his cock as he tucks himself away, smiling lazily at Prompto - who shivers in the table and whimpers, eyes clenched shut in pain and legs caked in semen and blood. Tears stained his face and a bruise around his eye started to darken, like the bruises on his hips, wrists and thighs. Gladio clenched his fists, Prompto was bruised _everywhere_.

Noct tried not to look, but the sickening sight made him freeze and he couldn't move. 

"I'll take my leave," the man says easily, waving a hand towards the lab door, "But I'll leave you with my friends once more, so you don't get lonely."

Imperial soldiers file in as Ardyn sweeps out of the room, one after the other.

"No, no...please...please don't - " Prompto sobs weakly, gasping and unable to move. His body is bloody and torn, and Gladio can only imagine the pain. A cold sweat broke out on Prompto's body a little while ago, and the blond started losing consciousness more often. 

"Please..._ please don't _...ah-!"

They didn't have much time. Prompto could only take so much of this.

Noct can't breathe and he feels like his sanity is slipping. It's been days of this. Running around the Keep and getting lost, _ over and over again _ as they're forced to listen to and watch the gunman be violated. It was obvious the feed was live, which meant that this has been happening to Prompto nonstop for days. 

They were all just barely clinging to the thin strands of their sanity. 

They had to keep going. The longer they took the longer this went on.

"Fuck. _ Fucking _ \- fucking _ monster _ ." Gladio spits, livid and shaking, "I'm going to rip that piece of shit _ apart- _"

"We need to get to Prompto, he's our first priority." Ignis says, sounding dazed. He flinches when Prompto suddenly screams in agony again. 

"Noct?"

"I can't - I can't listen to this anymore." Noctis croaks, sounding both heartbroken beyond belief and also fuming with a rage that was going to be cataclysmic when he snapped. 

Ignis felt the magic crackling towards his right side. The ring of Lucii was of no help in a situation like this.

Noctis staggers to his feet, feeling lightheaded and dizzy.

He takes a breath, "We keep going."

_______

They find another set of stairs, and they dread opening the door to _ another fucking hallway _, but the Six finally decided to cut them a break. It opens into a large, dark room with a cylindrical pillar in the middle. There's a door and something that looks like a keypad. 

It's the device sealing the rest of Noct's powers.

He couldn't give less than a fuck about the damned thing right now. Ignis and Gladio barely look at it, and Noctis takes Iggy's hand and leads him and they run across the bridge and towards another door.

"Noct." Ignis says, sounding hesitant, worried and so _ unlike _ himself, "Prompto has been silent for too long."

Noctis squeezes his hand in reassurance, not knowing what to say. He noticed. Gladio throws the door open, fury rolling off of him in waves. 

More stairs greet them, but once they clear those they finally find him. It's a large examination room, sealed behind glass and probably impervious to their swords. Gladio gets to searching for the entrance into the damned lab, pulling Noctis and Ignis towards a door and down another small hallway.

_ "He's passed out, idiot." _One of the soldiers snaps, continuing to ram his cock into Prompto, who lays there like a broken rag doll, completely limp.

Noctis sprinted faster than he ever has, legs frantically taking him down the hallway. To Prompto. Hopefully.

_ "Hey, wait." _ Another soldier said, his apprehensive tone echoing through the Keep, " _ He's not breathing _."

He hears the pounding of feet behind him, and know that Ignis and Gladio are at his side. Noctis can't help but keep his eyes glued to Prompto's face on the walls, slack with unconsciousness.

_ No _.

No, no, _ no _ . They _ can't _ be too late, they _ can't _ be-

_ "He's cold." _ The man says, a thumb rubbing Prompto's bruised nipple and taking a handful of Prompto's ass in his hands, _ "Really cold." _

One of the soldiers pat Prompto's face_ . "Hey!" _

A slap echoes through the Keep. Prompto doesn't respond.

"_ He's dead _."

"_ No, he's not _."

_ "Nah. He's dead. Look at him, he's not breathing. You're fuckin' a dead kid, man." _

They never get to finish their conversation.

The door bangs open and Noctis is on the first one before they even react, digging his sword into the man's skull and warping to another, slicing the monster's head clean off.

Gladio tears into them with his own sword, merciless and thorough as always, clearing a path for Ignis to find his way to Prompto.

Hands urgently sliding along counters and desks before he feels for the table, heart in his throat. He gently reaches out, searching for Prompto but not wanting to injure him should his hands land on him. 

His hands find him and quickly checks for a pulse. He's _ cold_.

"_Oh _ \- oh,_ Six_. _ Shit!_" Ignis says, moving quickly and trembling increasing tenfold, "Someone get me a Phoenix Down vial, _ now!_"

Gladio brings his sword down on a soldier's skull and his head whips around to look at Iggy, eyes wide.

"I don't have one - Iggy, you can't mean he's - "

"Noctis!" Iggy yells, sounding shaken for one of the only times in his life. Shaking hands search frantically for a pulse, _ anything at all _ -

Prompto was dead. 

Noctis was at his side in an instant, eyes on his friend's body. The Prince pales, his face going ashen.

One look at Prompto, then at Iggy's face - and Noctis knew exactly what was going on. 

"I don't have anything. I...I don't have one." Noctis hisses, furious with himself, eyes filling with angry tears. Then without a word he takes off, running out of the room faster than they've ever seen him, heading in the opposite direction of where they came from.

"Noct!" Gladio yells after him.

"Don't, he's going to look for a curative." Ignis says, frantically tearing off his gloves and shoving his sleeves up to his elbows. He feels for Prompto's chest gently, then he starts compressions, checking for a pulse before continuing.

Ignis is about to start mouth to mouth resuscitation when Noct comes back.

He crashes back into the room, nearly tripping over the dead soldiers and kicking their limbs out of his way, uncaring - and rightfully so. The Prince almost crashes into the table Prompto lies on, desperate to maneuver clumsy, exhausted and shaking limbs to cooperate. His vision swims as his eyes land on Prompto's cold, tortured figure. Noctis feels sick all over again and his hands tremble almost uncontrollably. Gladio snatches the Phoenix from him and quickly gives it to Ignis, who takes it and immediately sets to work. He doesn't ask where Noctis found it. 

It doesn't matter.

"Show me where his heart is, put my hand there." Ignis demands, quick and sharp. Noctis takes the advisor's free hand and quickly places it on Prompto's chest, where a heartbeat should be. Grief quickly passes over Ignis' face as he feels how cold Prompto is. No heartbeat.

He breaks the curative over Prompto's broken body - concentrating it directly over his heart- and waits for a pulse. Ignis could no longer see the flames as they washed over the blond and then went out, but he felt the familiar heat and knew the Phoenix was doing what it could to bring Prompto back to them.

Noct looks away, eyes filled with rage and agony. Gladio _ can't _ look away. The Shield silently fumes. Ignis presses his hand to the blond's heart and pulse, praying to the gods that the curative worked. He starts compressions again and Noctis plops on the floor, his head in his hands.

When Prompto's heart starts beating again, it's so weak that it's apparent the gunman doesn't have much time left.

Ignis jumps into action. He can work with this. 

"His heart's beating! Gladio, I need cloth. Rip some from the dead soldiers shirts into strips but _ don't _ give me any bloody material, we don't want him getting infected." Ignis orders, quickly running his fingers over Prompto's wounds that littered his body. The most crucial damage was somewhere that Ignis didn't even want to think about. He could only imagine the damage, the _ pain _. He needed to stop the bleeding.

Noctis scrambled to his feet, heart in his throat. 

Blue eyes frantically search his friend for sighs of life, and he knows the blood in Prompto's body is moving again. He looks slightly less grey. 

Prompto was alive. Hanging by the thinnest thread, but alive.

The advisor focused on cataloging the wounds he could patch from here. Whatever they could do here wasn't enough. They would need to get Prompto to a doctor. Fast. Very, very fast.

"Noctis, keep your hand on his pulse, tell me if it wavers. Gladio, after you hand me the cloth go search the surrounding rooms for a potion, or another Phoenix...just in case. Grab anything you can."

Hopefully he wouldn't have to use another Phoenix. Ignis prayed to the Six that Prompto would stay with them, that his heart wouldn't give out as they desperately tried to save him. They were dangerously low on supplies and short on time.

Ignis starts mouth-to-mouth, helping Prompto breathe.

Gladio started to move before Ignis even finishes speaking, quickly yanking and tearing makeshift bandages from the uniforms. He has no regard for the soldier's bodies, throwing them aside when he's finished looting them. One of the bastards has a potion in his pocket and Gladio thanks the Six, spits on the monster and grabs it, taking Ignis' hand and shoving the potion at him.

"Found one." He says, before going back to his task.

Ignis immediately breaks the curative over Prompto, never more thankful to have a potion in his hands than at that moment. 

Not for the first time in the past few days Ignis is thankful he can't see. He couldn't imagine how Prompto looked right now. He was spared that small mercy, if no others. 

"_ Fuck _ -Iggy he's-he's bleeding _ so much- _" Noct panics. The Prince hovers, unsure how else to help but too distressed to stand still. He takes Prompto's hand with his free one.

"Noct, _ don't _ touch him!" Gladio snaps from his place on the ground, "We can't move him-"

Noct glares at his Shield, tears in his eyes that he barely manages to hold back, "We can't leave him here!"

"We have to move him." Ignis says, firm and quick as his brain races to devise a plan, "We need to get him to the Regalia. He needs immediate medical attention."

"If we move him he'll bleed out, Iggy!" Gladio says, "We-"

"We have to. The potion can only do so much and we can't be sure we'll find more in this godforsaken maze." The adviser urges, "Every second we hesitate is another second Prompto suffers. Carry him Gladio, I'm going to try and feel along the walls and find the way out of here. We have to move quickly. Noctis, be ready to defend us and alert me of any enemies, run a bit ahead and search a few rooms for curatives but don't fall behind because we have to keep moving. Gladio, stay on my heels and tell me if Prompto's condition changes."

Noctis nods, restless energy buzzing. He and Gladio share a slightly relieved look. Iggy had a plan. _ Thank the Six _.

Moving Prompto is an agonizingly slow affair, a stop and go situation as blood drips from the blond's abused entrance and down his legs. Ignis cleans him while Gladio gently gets him situated in his arms. 

The Shield winces as Noctis breathes, "Wait, wait! He's bleeding again! Iggy -"

"Noct, we need you to stay calm." Ignis says, trying to keep his shaking hands steady as he wipes Prompto clean and staunches the blood loss as best he can.

The Prince nods and clenches his fists, trying to keep his emotions in check. Prompto needed him to stay level-headed. He needed Noct to help get him out of here.

It was already his fault Prompto was in Ardyn's hands to begin with. If Noctis hadn't been so easily tricked...if he hadn't pushed Prompto from the fucking train...if Noctis wasn't a shit excuse for a human being…

_ Dude, are you really trying to kill me? _

_Fuck_, he should have _known_. _He should have fucking figured it out,_ but Noctis is _weak_ _and such an idiot_. He isn't _fit_ to be King. He isn't even fit to be a _friend_.

After a few moments of adjusting him, Gladio has a secure hold on Prompto, careful not to jostle him more than he needed to. He's a small enough guy that Gladio can hold him and keep his finger on his pulse at the same time. 

Then they have to move. Gladio carries Prompto out of the room he'd been tortured and held captive in for days. They leave the place strewn with dead Imperial soldiers.

The walls are blank now. No projections, no screams echoing in the halls. After days there was finally some blessed _ silence _.

No one celebrated it. The silence felt like death. Ignis and Noctis tucked their coats around Prompto, hopefully keeping the chill of the Keep away.

"Now there should be a way out towards the back now that we've made it to the top. Otherwise Ardyn couldn't have escaped."

The only sound Noctis can hear is his own beating heart, his blood rushing in his ears and the steady tapping of Ignis' cane as he leads them quickly through the winding hallways. Noct runs ahead, quickly darting in and out of rooms, looking for any supplies that could aid them. 

By the time they finally reach an elevator around the back of the fortress that'll take them to the ground floor, Noct has found two potions and one Phoenix vial, along with some bandages. He pocketed the bandages and immediately sprinted back to Ignis, giving him the curative before darting ahead of them again, looking for anything else.

They only stop to give Prompto the potions, though Ignis knows they'll be of little help. Anything was preferable to nothing, though. They needed to keep Prompto alive. 

Night had fallen and the demons were roaming about, as expected. They were small obstacles compared to what they'd just endured.

Gladio tries his best not to jostle Prompto as he sidesteps and steers clear of the monsters in their path. Noctis tears all of them down with a fury that Ignis can't see, but he can feel. 

"I see the car!" Noct calls, he sprints back toward them and takes Iggy's hand, pulling him along. Gladio breaks into a run, trying to keep the wounded body in his arms steady.

Iggy feels along the side of the car before throwing open the back door. 

"Lay him on the seat. Noct, stay with him, keep his head level and monitor his pulse. Gladio, _ drive _. Fast."

Gladio gets in the front seat and starts the car. Noct hands Iggy the bandages, then he slips into the backseat, carefully placing Prompto's head in his lap.

"He needs a doctor, I suggest we head to Aranea's camp. That's our best option. There are hunters there, they most likely have a doctor." 

"How long will that take?" The Prince asks, eyes on his friend. He runs his fingers through Prompto's hair, unable to help trying to soothe him, even if the blond couldn't feel it. Prompto's hair is sticky with blood and something Noctis doesn't want to think about, but he can't bring himself to care.

Ignis leans over from the front seat and starts bandaging more of Prompto's wounds, stopping the blood flow where he can. When he finishes he checks Prompto's pulse and can only wait until they get to their destination.

After a moment, the silence is broken by a small, pained voice, so weak it's almost a whisper. So low and filled with pain that he wouldn't have heard it if the car wasn't so deathly quiet.

"N-N...oct-"

Noctis looks down. Ignis nearly breaks his neck turning towards the small voice.

"Prom! Don't try to talk. We got you, we're going to get you out of here, you hear me? You're gonna be okay." Noctis says. He forces himself to stay calm, to not lose it at the sight of how much pain is so plain on the blond's face.

"He's awake? Prompto!" Gladio says, looking between the road and the backseat, "It's okay, we're here. You're safe."

The blond's mouth moves slowly, and he can see that even speaking causes Prompto immense pain.

"N-Noc...t. Y... you're...okay…" 

Of _ course _ . Of course Prompto fucking Argentum would be thinking about his best friend instead of himself at a time like _ this _. Noct was beginning to hate himself. So many put themselves on the line for him. All the time.

Noct was so tired of it.

An angry tear rolls down the Prince's cheek, "Don't worry about me, Prom. I'm going to protect you. I promise. Don't talk, okay? We're gonna get you help, just stay with us. It'll all be okay. It'll be okay, we'll protect you, get you patched up, too. And-and then we'll go see the chocobos, yeah? Won't that be fun?"

"Hurts...so _ bad _ ." Prompto rasps slowly. The unimaginable pain in his voice makes it crack and Ignis struggles to _ think _ . His mind races for better plans. _ Anything _ else he could do. 

There had to be something. There was always _ something _.

Just the sound of Prompto's rasped and quietly broken voice was too much for even Ignis to take. And he could handle a lot. Gladio was clutching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white, and he sped down the road with no regard for any speed limits or laws.

Ignis pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to think. Noctis tries to soothe Prompto as best he can, telling him he'll be okay, that they'd be there soon…

Prompto quiets for a moment and the car is silent, but dread hangs in the air, suffocating them all.

Gladio steps on the gas and speeds towards Aranea's camp. Ignis makes future plans for their current situation, trying to decide what should be done next. Prompto couldn't continue with the search for the crystal, and the advisor knew that they'd never leave him. When they got to the camp they'd get help and monitor the gunman's recovery. They'd take it from there.

Gladio couldn't help but notice that the night seemed so much darker than it did before.

He's right. Ignis takes off his visor to rub a hand down his face. The glasses are unfamiliar in his hands, different than his old ones. Ignis starts to clean them out of habit and a lack of anything else to do with his nerves.

"Kill me...please…" Prompto begs suddenly, another tear rolling down his bruised cheek. 

Gladio almost crashes the car at the sound of Prompto's words. Ignis almost snaps his glasses in half.

That dread in Noct's stomach suddenly weighs a ton.

Prompto - sunny, bright Prompto who always bounced beside them and dragged them into pictures, always smiling and cracking jokes, raving about chocobos and dogs - was in so much pain that he was begging for death. 

"No..._ no _ Prom- we're going to get you some help, okay kid? You're gonna be okay." Gladio assures him, soothing the distressed man, "It'll be okay."

Noct just stared at Prompto in sick shock. His best friend just asked to die.

The blond is too weak to cry any harder, and he's obviously quickly losing the strength to even speak. Just _ breathing _ was agonizing.

"Plea...se." He begs, "...hurts...Gl-Gla..dio...Iggy...."

Prompto passes out again.

Ignis' stomach turns and he immediately leans out of the window to vomit.

Gladio doesn't stop the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment and let me know what you think. The more feedback I get the more motivated I am to write lol. Like most authors.
> 
> I know this is sad I'm sorry please don't kill me lol


	2. Chapter 2

Gladio's hands are bloody. 

It's not the first time it's not his own on his hands, but this time is... it's different.

The doctor at Aranea's camp long since pushed him and the others aside to rush about tending to Prompto, and the woman yells commands to her assistants, but Gladio doesn't hear it.

He can't hear anything other than the blood rushing in his own ears. His own heart pounding. He can still feel the desperate rumble of the engine through the steering wheel of the Regalia as he panicked and pushed the car to the limit, speeding to get somewhere they could get Prompto the help he so desperately needed.

_ 'Kill me...please...' _

Gladio clenches his hands into fists, trying to breathe. He lowers his head and sets his elbows on his knees, unable to feel anything other than a strange combination of horror and numbness. He feels nothing but everything at the same time.

Shock, probably. 

Prompto is being treated in a small room in Tenebrae, and Gladio is honestly surprised they made it at all. He figures he must have been speeding pretty fast - the tires of the Regalia are basically shot to hell - and somehow they made it from Nifleheim to Tenabrae in under an hour. But for all he knew the Keep wasn't too far inland anyway.

The thought of that place makes Gladio want to scream and break something. The doctor shouts another order and the medics scramble. 

Gladio gave up on trying to peer into the room to fret about the blond's condition, resigning himself to deal with his crippling anxiety outside the room after being yelled at by the medics for the umpteenth time. He needed to stay out of their way, and logically he knew that he would be doing more harm than good, but his entire being ached to do something. He was powerless when Prompto was being... attacked ('raped and _ murdered' _, his traitorous mind supplies) and his body buzzed with the need to contribute something.

Gladio didn't do well with helplessness. He could never reconcile the fact that some things were out of his control, and he hated that with everything in him.

But this is out of his control. The best he could do was wait. And pray. 

Though the thought of praying only made him angrier. The gods weren't on his side. How could they be? They let this happen to possibly the purest person he's ever met.

He sighs and rubs a hand down his face, trying to suppress something else.

Tears.

Gladio _ hated _ crying, hence why he did it so rarely, but this was _ Prompto _. The little blond guy that Noct brought home one day. The happy go lucky friend who called him 'big guy' with such affection that Gladio couldn't help but grow close to him alarmingly quickly. The kid he protected with the same level of intensity as he did the prince, and his sister. The same guy who bought Gladio the new, expensive books he always talked about for his birthday, even though the blond wasn't really rolling in money - simply because he remembered him talking about them and wanted Gladio to be happy. The same guy he insisted on training personally, because he'd be damned if Prompto was ill prepared for any danger they would find themselves in.

Prompto. 

And Gladio couldn't do shit to save him. All he could do was run around like a _confused fucking_ _idiot_ while listening to Prompto's screams.

Gladio wants to vomit. He wants to cry. He wants to _ kill Ardyn. _

But right now, all he could do was sit on the hard bench of the train terminal and listen to the sound of medics rushing to save his friend. Aranea almost ripped all of them apart when she saw the state of Prompto. Gladio wishes she would have. Or just him, at least. What a _ failure _, he was. 

Noctis sits on the bench next to him - at the far end - with his head in his hands and his shoulders trembling. The prince is pale, and Iggy sits to his right, on the bench farthest from him, with his head down. Gladio can't see his expression, but he can imagine it.

He wants to do something. He wants to comfort them both, but how can he do that when he was about to break apart himself? He can barely comprehend what Prompto - what all of them have just been through. He can't offer any help when he has no answers himself.

He hasn't had a panic attack in years, but he feels the anxiety, stress and panic closing his throat, and he starts to struggle to breathe.

Gladio can't get the images out of his brain, and suddenly it all capsizes and he needs to talk to _ somebody _ . _ Anybody _.

He does the only thing he knows to do. Gladio reaches out to the only father figure he has left.

He calls Cor.

* * *

* * *

* * *

_ When Cor was gathering information in that military fortress in Niflheim he didn't expect to find a baby. _

_ In a lab, no less. _

_ Alone, gurgling and wiggling on a metal table. _

_ The child was staring up at him with large, violet blue eyes, kicking his little legs and drooling. The kid couldn't be more than a few months old. Somehow the child had managed to fit almost all of his fingers in his mouth, and his other little fist seemed to be occupied with tugging at his own shock of bright, blond hair. The lab was empty, the researchers having left to prepare for some procedure Cor couldn't quite figure out. Infiltrating the base left him with more questions than answers, and when he finds the child he is left with even more inquiries. _

_ Cor looked down at the small child and felt a bunch of things at once. Confusion as to why a baby would be here, fear for the child and what the empire could be using him for...and blazing, blazing hot anger. Because a baby should be anywhere but here, and it doesn't take a genius to realize that the baby is probably a test subject of some kind. _

_ Who the fuck experiments on kids? Cor wants to burn the place to the ground. It would alert the Niffs of his presence, but it would be worth it. How many more children were there? Was this baby the only one? What exactly were they going to do to them? How quickly can he hunt down Verstael and wrap his hands around the monster's neck until the life drains from his eyes? How effectively could he kill every single one of these monstrous scientists without being detected? _

_ The fuckers deserved worse for this. _

_ Seeing the child in a hastily tied little gown with the sign of the Empire on the front only made Cor angrier. The fucking badge on the kid's clothes had a serial number on it. Like the little guy was some sort of merchandise or object on an assembly line. _

_ The baby waved a tiny arm, reaching for Cor. The man only hesitated for a split second (and only because he was covered in blood, thankfully not his own) before he dematerialized his sword and reached for the baby. _

_ A little hand fumbled then closed around his gloved index finger, gripping tight. Big, violet eyes blinked up at him, innocent and undeserving of being in such a cold, loveless and dangerous place. Cor took a step closer, eyes on the infant. _

_ There was a fucking barcode tattooed on his chubby wrist. _

_ The Kingsglaive had the child in his arms, then comfortably strapped to him and under his Kevlar-laced jacket before he even thought about it. Cor just made sure the baby was secure before he ducked out of the lab. _

_ They're out before they can even raise the alarm. _

* * *

* * *

* * *

_Years later, Cor would be asked to help investigate one high schooler by the name of Prompto Argentum, a common boy the Prince had made friends with. The King was overseeing the background check himself, pleased that his son had found a friend at last. Everyone knew the King worried for his son, even more after the terrible childhood accident that took the child's fire and hope from his eyes. The Prince's lack of social interaction with his peers worried Regis to no end._

_ But Prince Noctis had come home talking about another boy he'd met, who played the same video games he did and liked the same comic books. He seemed fond of him, eager and bright in a way the Kingsglaive and even His Majesty himself had never seen. Or at least, not in a while. _

_ Prompto's background checks came up clean - if very sparse. Clean because as everyone expected, he was just a genuinely good kid with a love of photography and chocobos, and didn't seem to have a malicious bone in his body. _

_ Sparse because he had no Lucian birth records. He was officially listed as an immigrant and an orphan. Brought to Lucis at approximately eight months old and adopted two months later by an R.J and Hera Argentum. Cor had paused at that, eyes scanning the teen's file before turning the page and being faced with those same big, blue violet eyes and bright blond hair. He couldn't forget those eyes, and he often wondered what became of the - affectionately nicknamed - 'barcode baby'. _

_ He didn't have to wonder anymore. This was Prompto Argentum. _

_ Prompto was the child he saved all those years ago. _

_ Cor could only smile to himself. What were the odds? _

* * *

* * *

* * *

_ When he finally meets Prompto, it's at one of Prince Noctis' birthday get-togethers at his apartment. _

_ The kid is skinny, freckled, excitable and still every bit as blond as the man remembered. He seemed rather clumsy too, but even that was in an endearingly good-natured sort of way. He seemed like quite a bright presence in the Prince's life, judging by the genuine smiles the blond got out of the usually shy and closed off royal. _

_ That same goofy little smile as when he was a baby. Cor had been glad to see the boy hadn't lost it. _

_ "Hi, nice to meet ya! I'm Prompto!" The blond grinned, thrusting out his hand in greeting. _

_ Big, violet blue eyes. _

_ "Very nice to meet you, Prompto." _

_ The kid beamed. _

_ No, he hadn't changed at all. _

* * *

* * *

* * *

Cor gets a call at three in the morning.

Getting calls from Gladio was nothing new, the boy was like a son to him, and he was proud to be his mentor.

But a call so early? Cor rolls over and grabs for his phone, limbs exhausted and eyes feeling like sandpaper. Trying to salvage the last dredges of the royal family and royal guards was draining in the wake of the tragedy that took place a few weeks ago. Cor had been ran ragged, and he finally settled down for his precious few hours of sleep before he had to be awake and fighting yet again, only to be interrupted by his cell ringing wildly.

Gladio surely had a good reason. He never called for anything trivial, and Cor knew the boy well - Gladio only called when he really needed help.

He fumbles with it for a moment (and the world would scoff if it saw 'Cor the immortal', groggy with sleep and clumsy with exhaustion) before managing to answer.

"Gladio."

"Cor, I…"

The man sits up, wide awake.

Cor's known Gladio since he was knee high, missing his two front teeth and swinging wooden swords around, giggling with his baby sister. He's watched the boy grow into a man (though he was always that little, toothless child to Cor), and he's watched his personality form and mature, his resolve harden and grow strong.

But...

He's never heard him like this. Just from those two words alone he knows something is very, very wrong.

Gladio won't tell him to over the phone, which is fine, seeing as Cor is dressed and out the door before the call is even over.

Gladio just mumbles out their location, voice shaking, and Cor starts the engine, beginning his long journey to Tenebrae.

He spends the long, dark ride dodging demons and tapping his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel - a habit Regis hated but he could never quite kick - but eventually he pulls up to the campsite, lit up and swarming with people who were on the train. At least that's what he assumes, and he's in too much of a rush to ask. He just steps into the station.

He doesn't have to look far, he just finds his way to where it's noisiest, and that's where he finds Gladio, Ignis and Prince Noctis - seated deathly still on a bench in varying stages of distress. All three boys seem to shrink in on themselves, shaking and pale. 

He notices Prompto is missing about the same time that Ignis looks up, clearly hearing him coming, even if he couldn't see him. He feels a quick flash of pride. Ignis was learning how to function without his sight. But again, Cor had no doubt the boy was going to find a way to be just as efficient as he was, it was only a matter of time.

"Cor." Gladio croaks, standing as he approaches. 

"What's happened?" He asks, looking between them. Noctis refuses to look at anyone, though he can see how red the Prince's face is.

Iggy pinches the bridge of his nose, looking more worn and drained than the man has ever seen.

Once he asks, it's like a spell is broken.

All three of them start to speak at once - Noct crying and Gladio nearly yelling. Ignis sighs and tries to be a bit more articulate than his friends, but in the end he looks just as stricken and empty as the others, fumbling over his words.

He holds up his hand and they all quiet.

"Be calm. _ Explain _ to me what happened." Cor says, sitting on the bench, elbows on his knees.

Ignis takes off his visor as the room plunges into tense silence. Noct sniffles and looks between Ignis and Gladio, like they're trying to decide who should have to tell the awful story.

Ignis takes the initiative, as usual. Gladio - though he was the one who called him - seems too broken up to even _ speak _. He just opens and closes his mouth, defeated. Eventually he just turns away.

"We...were separated from Prompto a few days ago." He says, "It...it seems Ardyn got a hold of him at-at some point soon after. We...found him at Zegnautus Keep, a fortress in Niflheim..."

Then he goes silent, looking away. His voice is shaking and he pauses, face twisting in horror for just a second before he wrangles his expression into something more even. Ignis rarely struggled like _this_, and even for Cor the Immortal - who'd seen everything - it was startling to see.

Cor looks at the three of them, waiting patiently. No one said anything. Noct was angrily glaring at his lap and wiping away bitter tears, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles went white. Gladio clenched his jaw and stood with his back to them, tense and rigid, but unable to look at anyone. Ignis simply went silent and fiddled with his glasses again.

It wasn't like the usually settled young man to be so visibly disturbed. He'd always thought that Ignis tended to forget that he was young as well, and that being scared and confused was normal. A part of it. 

They were all children, to Cor. 

"And?" He asks patiently, prodding them.

After a beat of silence Gladio chokes out, "They...tortured Prompto."

Cor pauses and feels the temperature of the room drop below freezing. 

"What?"

"They _ killed _ him." Noctis whispers bitterly, eyes on his lap. There's a slump to his shoulders that Cor has only seen a few times before, but never has he seen the Prince's eyes _look_ like that.

And then he hears the Prince's words and he rubs a hand down his face, unable to process them for a moment. Thankfully Ignis pipes up and clarifies.

"He is alive, for...for now. We used a curative, but...but he was…he was _gone_. The doctors are trying to save him, but...he..."

So that was the noise he could hear through the door closest to them. He can faintly hear a voice sharply giving orders, and Cor doesn't need to look inside to know that the blond is in there, and most likely in the worst shape anyone's ever seen, judging by the looks of the three distraught and exhausted boys in front of him. Whatever happened ended in Prompto's death, and Cor grits his teeth and waits for them to explain further.

They all sit there for a long, silent and horrifying moment, their minds struggling to comprehend the catastrophe that was the last few days. Cor looks at the three of them and looks at how incredibly _ shaken _ all three of them seem to be.

Cor was getting very little in terms of an explanation, but he couldn't force them to speak any faster. Cor wasn't a brute, he understood trauma and how it worked, and he regarded them like his own children. Forcing them to tell him the entire story in their current states wasn't worth the information he would get in exchange. 

Regis trusted them to him, and he refused to let his former lover down. It was the least he could do, for not being able to protect him when he needed Cor the most.

Grief piles atop grief as he remembers his King, and the blond baby he'd so carefully and painstakingly taken care of over those few short weeks when he was travelling from Nifleheim to Insomnia so long ago.

"T-they raped him to death." Noctis whispers, eyes staring forward, wide and unseeing. He trembles, Prompto's blood still on his hands as the doctor shouts something they can't make out through the walls.

Cor feels the bile rise in his throat.

Of all the things, of everything he's seen and expected to hear…

Of all the most horrifying outcomes, this one knocks Cor right in his ass.

He doesn't know what to say, and he feels his shoulders tense and his jaw clench. Cor feels the rage and nausea mix and he needs to have this reaction - whatever is bubbling up inside him - away from the shaking trio.

He rises, "I'm going to make arrangements for you four. We'll...discuss the rest later." 

Then he turns to make his way down the hallway.

Once he's far enough away from them, Cor puts his fist through the wall exactly seven times. His sword makes an appearance as well, if only briefly, and until he pulls himself together with a ragged breath and the feeling of sickness and rage.

If the entire thing comes down and that abandoned part of the station happens to collapse a few minutes later, well...Cor knows nothing about it.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Gladio doesn't watch Cor leave as he sits back down and looks at the wall blankly.

Ignis clasps shaking hands, trying to finally get his breathing in order. 

They're all reliving the same thing. Frantically and desperately running around the Keep for days on end while having to listen to Prompto's torture.

Ignis' nerves were frayed. He felt like his brain was _ unravelling _. 

"They...Ardyn - he fucking _ raped him to death _ \- Iggy -." Noctis rasps, hoarse and disbelieving. Tears still pour down the Prince's cheeks and he tugs a hand through his hair harshly, nearly tearing it out.

"Fucking - stop _ saying _ it!" Gladio hisses, jumping from his chair and turning away, starting to pace the room like a caged lion. Noctis pays him no mind, just staring at his hands.

Both he and Ignis know that Gladio is simply stressed and spread thin. They were all threads about to snap.

Noctis didn't have the strength to fight with his Shield right now, anyway. He wondered if he could ever fight again. What was the point in continuing on this journey when the people he loved just kept getting hurt? What was stopping him from taking the three of them and hiding somewhere? He's the King, he could just abandon all this destiny fuckery and hole up somewhere with enough food and magic to last them for eons. Why did he have to keep sacrificing the people he loved? Why did the fucking crystal even choose him? Noctis wasn't meant to be King! He couldn't protect anybody! It was proven time and time again. His dad, Luna, Ignis...Prompto.

He should have been more protective of him. He should have...should have stayed by Prompto's side instead of storming off in the first place and letting Ardyn find an in. Noctis feels so fucking stupid. He knew Prompto was even more inexperienced than Noctis. By leagues, in fact. Prompto was invaluable in battle, he had perfect aim and upgraded all of his weapons himself, tinkering for hours at camp...but the blond wasn't a fighter. All the energy they put into protecting Noctis should have been put into protecting their youngest, smallest friend. 

Noctis feels like an idiot. He should have _ known _ Ardyn would make Prom a target, probably for those reasons. Prompto was kind of everyone's weak spot. Hell, he was the only one Iggy watched almost as closely as Noct, and Gladio got on him about being reckless and insisted on training him at camp. Gladio tended to jump in front of Prompto during battles just as often as he did the Prince, and if anything he complained less about having to save the blond.

_ Prompto _.

Why did the gods insist on his loved ones being _ his _ sacrifice? Why not just take Noctis instead? He would gladly die a thousand deaths than have anything happen to those close to his heart. Especially things that were as painful as this. 

How could the astrals have let this happen to Prompto? What did _ he _ do wrong? Prompto was one of the rare, few lights left in Noctis' entire world, how could the gods that Noctis is being forced to serve allow this to happen to someone so innocent? All Prompto has ever done was be his friend and stand at his side. Why was he being punished just for being close to Noctis?

Noctis was lazy, sleepy, brooding, sulky and he _ knew _ this, but they loved him anyway. Ignis stood beside him, took care of him and understood him, Luna still wanted to write to him and be his friend - even agreed to marry him, even though he'd known she'd had a woman she'd been in love with for years. His father still adored him fiercely, despite Noctis' reluctance to be King.

Prompto wanted to be his friend. Prompto went through the hellish trials of Crownsguard training to stay at his side. Prompto constantly protected him, loved him and cheered him up. So many times Noctis had been drifting in his usual depression only for Prompto to come along and pull him out of his head, to make him feel _ normal _ . Prompto _ listened _ to him. Prompto saved him over and over again. Prompto loved chocobos and cloud gazing. He loved animals and taking pictures. Prompto was always snapping pictures of them. He'd told the prince that he didn't want to forget anything.

Prompto was dead a few hours ago. After days of being pinned to a table and violated until his heart stopped.

Guilt slammed into him and he groaned, doubling over and resting his forehead on his knees.

All they could do was wait till morning.

If Prompto survived the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I started this chapter a million times in a million different ways from different characters pov, but in the end gladio was the voice I went with, then Cor.
> 
> *youtuber voice* let me know what you think in the comments below :)


	3. Chapter 3

At some point during their sleepless night Ignis quietly excuses himself to go to the bathroom, and Gladio stalks off somewhere to punch something - or whatever he does when he's enraged and depressed, Noctis has no idea.

But Gladio leaves the station and Ignis holes up in the bathroom, the faucet running and the distant sound of the man washing the blood from his skin. He hears the man's hand against the wall, obviously feeling for the sink, and if Noct was in any kind of functional headspace he'd be at Iggy's side helping him, but...

Noctis can't move. He wants to wash his hands too, and he wants to hunt Ardyn down and rip his head from his shoulders. He wants to hug both Ignis and Gladio because he can't hug Prompto right now. He wants to cry and scream. He wants to hold Prompto tight until he can convince himself that his friend is alive, that Prompto is still with him. That he didn't lose him.

But all he can do is just sit here. And his brain can only linger on the fact that even after all of that, Prompto may not even survive. He can hear the doctors, still hurrying around the room he sits just outside of. If he dies he'll have lived the last days of his life in incredible pain, experiencing cruelty that he never deserved.

Noctis starts to tremble again, and he can't stop. His head starts to pound. He stares at the wall.

Iggy returns, hands clean but clothes still stained. Noctis at least has enough presence of mind to help Ignis into his chair. The man nods at him in gratitude, and Noct wants nothing more than to take his hand, but he returns to his seat, feeling sick. He doesn't know why, but even as much as he wants to reach out...he can't. 

He wants to hold _ Prompto _, but he can't. He wants to find Gladio and hug the man, because he can only imagine how his Shield feels. He wants to wrap himself around Iggy and make sure nothing ever touches him again.

Noctis wants to protect everyone he loves. Everyone that's _ left. _

The swirl of sickening emotions and feelings is almost _ confusing, _ and he doesn't know what to do with himself. Noctis just stares at the wall and only dimly notices when Gladiolus returns, just focusing on breathing and trying to block out the memory of the past few days.

Eventually the door opens, and Noctis is frozen, trying to glean as much from the nurses face as he can. Ignis stands, turning towards the source of the noise. Gladio rests his elbows on his knees, but he looks up at the nurse looking more tired than Noctis has probably ever seen him before. The Shield is covered in sweat and looks exhausted, and Noctis doesn't doubt there's some unfortunate tree or bit of wall that suffered his wrath.

He notices Gladio and Ignis are shaking too. 

Prompto could be dead. He could have died minutes ago, or just now. He could be gone forever -

"Is he alive?" Noctis demands, voice shaking. 

"He survived." She nods, "Somehow."

Ignis sighs and visibly deflates, so much tension leaking from his shoulders that he almost has to sit down. Noctis clenches his fists, fighting back an onslaught of relieved tears. Gladio practically _ melts _ in his seat.

The woman's hands are covered in blood and she looks almost as shaken as them. Noctis doesn't envy her predicament any more than their own.

"He'll need a hospital, and more medical help than we can provide here." The doctor says, frowning, "We patched him up as best I could but…he lost a lot of blood, and it's not safe to use so many potions on someone of his height and weight. We'll need to do the rest with plain old surgery and medicine. He's going to feel very weak and nauseous for a while. Your friend...he needed a lot of stitches, his vocal chords are severely damaged and…" 

She trails off, face going pained and concerned for a moment. Ignis clears his throat, prompting her to finish. She flushes, clearly uncomfortable.

"And?!" Noctis snaps, fists clenching.

"Well...h-his genitals are damaged, heavily so. His lower intestine and bowels were severely perforated and I-I did some light operating on what I could, but he's going to need a _ surgeon _ and multiple blood transfusions. Until then I fitted him with a colostomy bag, and he shouldn't have to mess with the stitches or worry about waste, s-so he'll just need to change it every now and again." She says, "We have him on a drip and some pain meds, but he needs to move as little as possible, he's...very delicate right now. I can't stress enough, he's... basically being held together with tissue paper and thread. We...it was the best we could do. It seems he was beaten rather badly even before he was sexually assaulted, so we had his broken bones wrapped and bandaged."

Noctis almost fucking pukes. Gladio stands, eyes empty.

"But he's alive." He says. She nods.

Noctis takes a shaky step closer, "Can we see him?"

Ignis says nothing.

"Yes but - I...there's something else." She says, fidgeting in discomfort, eyes bouncing between the three of them nervously, "I found...some ah - _ older _ wounds that didn't heal over quite so well, on his wrists and legs. Just...as a doctor I maybe shouldn't be telling you this, but as a human being concerned for your friend...they are reminiscent of self-harm scars. S-some looked a few years old, but some looked very recent. If he's...prone to such behaviors then after... _ trauma _ like this I would advise you all watch him very closely for any suicidal behavior."

The room is dead silent.

Noctis blinks at her, brain slow to process what he's been told. 

_ W-What? _

He doesn't realize he's said that aloud until the woman frowns even deeper and looks even more concerned.

"S-self harm is very serious, and judging by his scars...if he was struggling with this before, he may attempt again, and it could be exacerbated by the ordeal he's just been through."

Noctis' chest tightens. Gladio's brows furrow, confused and anxious.

Ignis goes very still.

"Huh?" Noct says, voice small, "Prom wouldn't...why would he be hurting himself? I don't-"

He looks at Ignis, like he'd have the answers. The advisor either knows Noctis so well that he knows the Prince would seek answers from him or he could feel Noctis' eyes on him.

The man opens and closes his mouth, like he doesn't know what to say for a moment. 

"I am...sad to say I'm not exactly surprised." Ignis says after a moment.

Gladio stares at him, "How are you not surprised? Prompto's been cutting himself and you're not surprised?"

Gladio looks as confused as Noctis _ feels. _

The Prince feels sick. The dread in his stomach builds further, like it does when one is about to receive very bad news. Well, _ more _ bad news.

Iggy sighs, "I have..._ noticed _...little discrepancies in Prompto's behavior."

"L-like what?" Noct asks, unsure he even wants the answer.

"We will talk about this later." He says, "What else of his condition?"

The doctor looks between all of them, eyebrows wrinkled in concern, "Well, he'll be in a lot of pain, and he needs a hospital as soon as possible. I can't tell you when he'll wake up, but it won't be tonight. Probably not tomorrow either. He's lost a lot of blood I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but he'll be affected by what's happened to him. Sexual assault victims who've been attacked this...viciously need a lot of understanding and support."

"Of course." Ignis says, "Anything he needs."

The nurse excuses herself and Noctis feels so dizzy he can no longer stand. He plops into a seat and gags before shoving his head between his knees and trying to breathe.

Prom's alive. He's alive. 

Noctis tries to focus on that alone for long enough to calm himself. 

Once they're alone Gladio asks the question Noctis can't.

"You knew?" Gladio asks. He isn't accusing, but the stress in his voice is evident. The man is clearly tense, and Noctis thinks he's about to start pacing again.

"I wasn't aware he was...cutting." Ignis says, fists clenching and relaxing - a sign he was distressed, "But I have noticed a few things."

"Like?"

"He doesn't shower or swim with us, like he's afraid of showing his body to anyone. He only accepts very, very small portions of food despite running around with us all day, and fighting demons." Ignis says, frown deepening, "I caught him holding a small pack of candy and mumbling about calories once, in the shop at Hammerhead. He didn't see me, but I heard him. He...put the candy back, and when I bought it for him, he said he felt sick and couldn't have any. He checks the nutrition facts on everything he eats. No matter how hot it is, he never wears anything that shows his legs or stomach."

"So...so he - "

"Prompto has an eating disorder. He's probably had it for years." Ignis says, "Along with a few other issues. I've tried broaching the subject when we were alone because I didn't want to embarrass him, but he...assured me I was wrong and he was fine. I thought maybe I misunderstood his behavior, and I didn't pry further. And then Insomnia fell and...it all got so chaotic."

"But I...I would have noticed, right? I mean, even in school he…actually -" Noctis trails off, distress clear on his face as it dawns on him, "He...he always skipped lunch, now that I think about it. He never wanted to go for some reason, and he never brought any food from home. And he never changed in the locker room during gym...But I...I didn't think - "

He remembers the switchblade Prompto walked with since high school. He'd told Noctis that it was for safety reasons, that he didn't live in the best neighborhood, but what if…?

He remembers how startled and _guilty_ Prompto looked that day, when he found it in his backpack. He's worn gloves and bracelets to cover his wrists for as long as Noct has known him. He never guessed that Prompto was hiding scars.

Prompto's been cutting himself for years. And Noctis didn't notice anything.

He has no more tears left to cry. All Noct can do is tremble and hate himself all the more. 

How did he not see it? That his best friend was suffering right in front of his eyes?

Noctis doesn't notice when Aranea arrives. Not immediately anyway. He's too busy doubled over in his seat in self loathing, his head between his knees once again.

Gladio seems to recover quicker than he does though, rising to greet the mercenary walking towards them. She looks pissed and wary, like she too was expecting bad news.

"How is he?"

"Alive." Gladio says. 

She nods, "Good."

"He needs a hospital." Ignis says, "And a surgeon."

"I'm securing you transport and somewhere to stay near a hospital in Altissia. It's warded with magic, kinda like a campsite, so you should be safe." Aranea says, folding her arms. She still looks like she wants to bash their heads in, and Noctis can't blame her. He wants to punch _ himself _ in the face for letting this happen to Prompto.

She hesitates for a moment, and Noct is startled by how strange it is to see her look so unsure. 

Well, they were all shaken.

"I saw him before...before he went to find you guys." She says quietly, almost to herself, "Maybe if I wouldn't have let him go off alone…"

"You are not at fault." Ignis tells her, sounding tired beyond measure, but firm, "We failed him, you did not."

"Thanks for staying with him." Noct mumbles, "If you weren't with him in Niflheim he might have suffered for even longer. So. Uh, thanks." 

She nods after a moment, almost looking like she's unwilling to accept his thanks. But she does and she says nothing about it.

"Well, the great thing about caravans is that they move." Aranea says, "So we can bundle shortcake into the bed in the one by the road and drive to Cape Caem so you can catch your boat. You'll have an escort, they'll see you to safety, to the hospital and then to the safe house Cor's setting up. Until the place is finished you'll have to bunk at the hospital, but it's warded against demons, so you'll be fine." She glances at the door to the room Prompto is in and she seems to drown and looks genuinely saddened, "Shortcake will be safe, too. The drive should only be a few days."

"Thank you." 

"Don't thank me, just...make sure shortcake is alright." She says, frowning, "He's a good kid, and I don't know exactly what happened to him but…"

She trails off and sighs, straightening her back and standing tall above Noctis once more.

"I'll make sure the caravan is ready." She says, before she turns to leave.

Things move a bit fast after that, but all Noctis really cares about is the fact that the door opens and the nurse steps out once again and says they can see Prompto.

Noctis rushes past her as soon as the words leave her lips, unwilling to wait another second.

The room is dim and smells like blood, and he sees the bloody cloths and medical tools next to the cot that Prompto's been bundled onto.

Noctis hears Gladio and Ignis behind him, but he keeps his eyes on the still figure on the bloodied bed. 

He looked so fucking _ small, _ and... _ yeah, _ Prompto sort of always _ has, _ but...

He's covered in inky black bruises and bandages. Prompto's so _ pale _ that Noctis' heart almost stops entirely. The blond looked dead. He knows he's not, but he can't get the image of Prompto lying there lifeless out of his head.

His left arm is in a cast, and his ribs are wrapped, plasters holding smaller wounds closed so they could begin to heal. He's been dressed in what look like scrubs, most likely provided by the nurses themselves. His pale yellow hair is out of it's usual style, spilling across the pillow he sleeps on, and he can see the cuts and bruises on the blond's cheeks and lips even past the oxygen mask. A few blankets have been tucked around him to ward off the night's chill. He's been cleaned, too.

Noct runs his shaking hand through Prompto's hair for a moment, savoring being able to watch his chest rise and fall.

Alive. He's _ alive. _

The prince could _ cry. _Ignis feels along the edge of the cot until he reaches Prompto's hand, and he takes it gently, simply holding it. Gladio takes a seat at his bedside, moving to sweep a lock of blond hair out of the unconscious man's eyes.

Noctis cups the blond's bandaged face, reverently and gently - his touch soft and feather light - and gingerly presses his forehead to his unconscious friend's. Noctis wants nothing more than to just stay like this for as long as possible. Just trying to press all of his love and worry into Prompto's bruised skin, inwardly begging him to wake up soon. 

Prom feels so _ fragile _ under his hands.

They're able to sit with him for about ten minutes before it's time to move him to the caravan, and Noctis isn't too big on the idea of moving him (Prompto looks so fragile already, like even _ touching _ him could break him) but he needs medical attention desperately, and it would already take them a few days to get to Altissia - especially since they made plans to stop driving at night. They couldn't battle demons in their current states, and they'd need to find a campsite or lit town to lay low during the night. So that made the journey even longer.

In other words they needed to move fast, so Noctis bites his tongue and holds Prompto's hand for as long as he can, until the nurses tell them that it's time to take him. Then he reluctantly steps aside. Ignis keeps himself out of the way, and Noctis finally acts on the urge to take the man's hand, guiding him to where they stand to the side, watching the nurses direct Gladio on where to hold Prompto so he can be moved as safely as possible.

Gladio picks him up, gentle and careful of the IV and multiple bandages littering the blond's broken body. Prompto looks like a sickly rag doll in Gladio's arms, small and deathly pale. They tuck a blanket around him once Gladio has him settled in his arms, trying to block out the cold even for the short journey from the station's impromptu medical room to the caravan.

They pile all the blankets and pillows on the caravan's bunk for Prompto, and Gladio carries him in, flocked by the camp's nurses, who fuss as soon as Gladio gently sets him down, reattaching him to heart monitors and putting the oxygen mask around his face once more. The medical equipment takes up only a bit of space next to where they've settled Prompto, so Noctis can slip by his side and sit close, eyes on his friend's unconscious form. 

Aranea arrives again, two men following behind her.

"Biggs and Wedge will take turns driving you. Maybe I'll check in on you guys when you're up there." She says, giving them a wave.

Ignis nods, "I'm sure Prompto would like that. And thank you, for what you've done for us. For Prompto."

Biggs nods to them as he enters the caravan, taking a seat behind the wheel. Wedge steps on a few seconds later, tips his hat to all of them and proceeds to help the nurses arrange the machines and such. Noctis sits by Prompto's side, almost unwilling to move. The nurses don't ask, so they simply operate around him, like they know he'd rather do anything other than leave the blond's side.

By the time the sun is rising, they've arranged Prompto as comfortably as possible, stocked the caravan with medical supplies and food and pulled off from the campsite. The sunlight is weak, but it's still the best thing Gladio's ever seen. He supposes he's grateful the sun still rises _ at all. _

Wedge sits next to Biggs in the passenger seat, the map in his lap as the two quietly talk amongst themselves, eyes on the road ahead. 

The caravan is quiet.

Ignis succumbs to his exhaustion first, and Gladio guides him into the small booth next to the tiny kitchenette, right by where Prompto rests. Gladio drapes a blanket over Ignis' shoulders, hand lingering on the other man's arm.

"You should sleep, Iggy." 

"How's Prompto? Is his condition the same?"

"He's okay. Still asleep, and no bleeding. Noct is with him." Gladio says.

Ignis nods, "Right."

"You okay?" The Shield asks. 

"No."

"Me either." 

Noctis only distantly hears their conversation, eyes still in Prompto. Exhaustion threatens to pull him under, but he feels like if he closes his eyes Prompto could slip away from him.

He knows that's untrue, but he can't help it. The Prince's mind spins in circles, lack of sleep and added stress making him somewhat panicked in his thinking. He watches Prompto breathe, slipping his hand into the blond's bandaged one.

Some stupid part of him believes that if they give up on their quest then Ardyn wins, but then he realizes how utterly stupid the thought is. If the three of them are _ safe, _ and Prompto is far away from that monster's grasp, then Noctis counts _ that _ as a win. To hell with the prophecy, or destiny. Screw saving the entire world.

They win if they make it out _ alive, _ and Noctis' new objective is to make sure they're all out of harm's way. Fuck, he doesn't care if they have to hide _ forever. _ He'll fucking do it. 

As their King he has to protect them, and as their friend...he needs to make sure they're safe. He knew it was a terrible thought, and he knew that it wasn't the way a king should think, but he only cared about the three men that he held closest to his heart right now. Everyone else could hang for all he cared. But again, Noctis _ never _ claimed to be the world's hero. That was decided _ for _ him, and he's now decided to reject it. He refuses to sacrifice anyone else.

They've been hurt enough. Prompto's been hurt enough. A King made sure the ones he loved were safe. His father taught him that, over and over again.

"If anything, Noctis could stay with Prompto, and we could go after the crystal with Cor…" he hears Ignis say quietly, speaking to Gladio a few feet away. The man sounds exhausted and worn, and Noctis doesn't even want him _ thinking _ about the Crystal, or demons, or defeating Ardyn. Not right now. They couldn't focus on that shit right now. 

Noctis shakes his head,"No."

Ignis turns to where he can hear Noctis' voice, probably unaware that Noctis was even listening to them. Gladio sits by Prompto's other side, taking his right hand in his own.

"I've had time to think. And I... it's over. We're done." He says definitively, "This whole..._ everything _, is done. We're gonna just...find someplace to settle, and let Prompto recover, and we'll just...lay low. No more fighting. No more prophecies, or demons. We just...stay together. And live. That's it."

Gladio doesn't protest, he just holds Prompto's hand tighter, and Ignis simply clutches at his blanket and nods, turning away.

Noctis inwardly sighs in relief, glad he didn't have to fight them on this. How could they go on? After _ this? _ Even the oncoming apocalypse seemed like _ nothing _ compared to what they'd just been through, and Noctis refuses to endanger any more of his precious people for this. For gods who didn't give a shit about _ any _ of them.

He shakes his head, feeling a headache pressing behind his eyes. They should have stopped after Luna. They should have stopped after what happened to Iggy. He should have taken all three of them and holed up somewhere safe.

Noct rubs at his eyes, headache building. He should have kept them all safe. He should have worked harder. Gotten stronger, faster.

His regrets build and build throughout the early morning.

* * *

* * *

* * *

_ The pain is blinding, and all Prompto can do is choke. It doesn't stop. His insides feel as if they're ripping apart, and he feels himself tear with the very first thrust into his unprepared body. He chokes on his scream and bites his tongue, mouth filling with blood. The pain makes his body lock up, which only makes it hurt more. He screams and trembles and _ ** _there's nothing he can do._ **

_ He scrabbles at the table, trying to hold on to anything to use as leverage to crawl away from the man who pins him down and rips him in two. _

_ Ardyn punches him. His left eye explodes in _ ** _pain_ ** _ and he's blinded for a moment, his ears ringing. Prompto feels dizziness cloud his senses, his stomach turning and his ears ringing. The room spins for a moment, and all he can feel is Ardyn inside him and his hands grabbing at his body, like the blond is nothing more than a toy, a doll for him to torment. _

_ Hands grab at his soft dick, hanging pathetically between his legs. Pain layers atop _ ** _pain_ ** _ as Ardyn grips him so hard he can only squirm and cry like a weakling. His hand is rough and cold, and Prompto feels like his body is being _ ** _torn_ ** _ at. Ardyn greedily touches every inch of him, slipping between his legs and into his hole alongside his cock, stretching his injured body further. He can't even really breathe anymore due to the pain and Ardyn pressing him into the table. The blond's claustrophobia makes him start to hyperventilate as Ardyn crushes him under his body - and the pain and mental shock of the attack makes him dissolve into tears. He can do nothing else. _

_ Ardyn is too big and he rams himself into him again and again, wrenching tears and screams from the terrified boy under him. _

_ "Now, now. Don't be rude. You'll hurt my feelings, Mr. Argentum." _

_ He's bleeding. Prompto knows he is. He can smell it. Blood and sweat. Sex. _

_ Prompto feels sick, and his stomach clenches painfully. _

_ He thinks he's having a panic attack. The pain is setting his body and brain on fire, the panic and fear mounting into a desperate need to _ ** _flee. Get away._ ** _ He grabs for anything to hold on to, but the table is slippery metal and Ardyn is so much stronger than him. He leans all of his weight on Prompto's smaller, thinner frame, nearly suffocating him. He has no hope of escape. _

_ Ardyn fucks into him deep and fast, punching the air from his lungs and sending pain rocketing through him. It _ ** _hurts_ ** _ . All he can see, hear, smell and feel is Ardyn, and his insides crawl. _

_ He thinks he's going to be sick, and his vision tunnels. _

_ After what feels like so, so long, Ardyn comes inside him with a groan. _

_ It's _ ** _disgusting_ ** _ . He can feel the warmth of the Chancellor's essence inside him. Revulsion and shame make him tremble harder. _

_ The man pulls out of him with a sickeningly wet sound that makes Prompto gag, and the blond immediately scrambles away, off the table and crashing to his knees. His pants are still around his knees and forces shaking hands to pull his clothes back in place as he scrambles away from Ardyn. The pain makes his body scream, but his need to get away from the man who just violated him forces him to _ ** _move_ ** _ . He can feel blood and come slowly leaking from his injured body, and his stomach clenches painfully once more. _

_ All Prompto feels is fear, _ ** _blinding_ ** _ fear. He settles wary eyes on Ardyn as he scrambles into a corner, as far from the man and as close to the wall as he can get. He sobs, eyes filling with tears again. He wishes he had his gun. He wishes Noctis was here. He wishes Gladio was here. He wishes Iggy was here. _

_ Well no, he doesn't wish Ignis were here. Ardyn would probably do something horrible to him, too. Iggy's not used to being unable to see yet, and he's been having trouble fighting because of the adjustment. _

_ No, Prompto doesn't wish Iggy were here, but he misses him all the same. Wants to be with him, just like the others. _

_ Prompto just wants to be back in the Regalia, taking pictures and dozing in the front seat. He just wants to be _ ** _safe_ ** _ . _

_ Ardyn just smiles lazily at him, tucking himself back into his pants casually, like he didn't just rip Prompto apart. _

_ When Prompto thinks it's over he curls up into himself and shudders, unable to focus on anything but the pain between his legs and the revolting feeling of Ardyn's come dripping out of him. All he can smell is sweat, blood and sex, which makes his stomach turn in about a million different ways. _

_ And then Ardyn is in front of him again, he's on the table, the camera is set up and it repeats. And _ ** _repeats_ ** _ . And repeats. _

_ And he's _ ** _nothing. _ **

_ Ardyn reminds him of that. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a 4k word update because I feel bad for making you guys wait so long! Tell me what you think!
> 
> Healing begins next chapter!


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